During a 50-year career that culminated in three Grammys, one Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Pulitzer nomination, and 36 books, Maya Angelou never failed to use the power of her skilled words to candidly reflect on the sorrows and celebrations of the human experience.
“The world knows her as a poet, but at the heart of her, she was a teacher,” Oprah said of Angelou. “‘When you learn, teach. When you get, give’ is one of my best lessons from her.”
Referred to by Oprah as her “mentor, mother/sister, and friend,” Angelou—who died in 2014 at age 86—spent her life offering earned wisdom to society through countless poems, essays, and memoirs, bravely sharing her many trials and tribulations—but also triumphs—as a Black woman in America. But just like Oprah, Angelou’s candor encouraged many people to maintain hope during even in the darkest of times.
From her profound I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to the lyrical And Still I Rise, Angelou continues to inspire us through her written words, and the indelible example she set . And though it was (really) difficult, we narrowed down her vast body of work to the 10 most essential in her repertoire. But worry not: We’ve also drawn up a complete list of her work, should you want to expand your study of this remarkable writer.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
With encouragement from friend and fellow groundbreaker James Baldwin, Angelou published her debut memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. In it, she captures her childhood struggles with abuse and prejudice while also detailing how the contrasting freedom of her adolescence allowed her to find strength amid despair. The autobiography is arguably her most popular work, with Time magazine naming it an All-Time 100 Nonfiction Book.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity,” Baldwin said of it.
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie (1971)
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie
In her first collection of poetry, Angelou uses 38 different lyrical titles as social commentary through which she explores themes of love, racism, and nostalgia. With poems like “They Went Home,” “Times-Square-Shoe-Shine-Composition,” and “No Loser, Now Weeper,” the work earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
Gather Together in My Name
Gather Together in My Name
Gather Together in My Name (1974)
Gather Together in My Name
Gather Together in My Name
A follow up to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou lets readers in on her life post-World War II. She's a teen mother to a young son named Clyde, struggling to provide for him as she's in-and-out of relationships and jumping from job to job. It's a story of a young woman trying to find herself in the midst of parental responsibility—while the lure of drugs and crime nearly takes her life in an unfortunate direction.
And Still I Rise (1978)
Home to one of Angelou's most praised poems, “Phenomenal Woman,” this volume celebrates everything from dreams and lively Saturday nights to freedom and the sounds of the South. Through an energetic rhythm and written prowess, Angelou honors life—and the good and bad that comes with it.
“... The stride of my step/ The curl of my lips./ I’m a woman/ Phenomenally./ Phenomenal woman,/ That’s me.”
The Heart of a Woman (1981)
In her fourth memoir, Angelou moves with her son to New York City, quickly becoming involved in the rich artistic culture of the city's Black creatives. It's here where she discovers her true passion for the written word after reading her work at the Harlem Writer's Guild. Simultaneously, she falls in love with a man who shows her that there's even more to life beyond the city.
On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem
On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem
On the Pulse of Morning (1993)
On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem
On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem
Read at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1993 on a public television broadcast, “On the Pulse of Morning” sent a message of unity and equality to countless Americans in what the president called an “electrifying reading.” The historic event saw Angelou bring her signature soulful prose to a national stage.
“In my work, in everything I do, I mean to say that we human beings are more alike than we are unalike,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1993, “and to use that statement to break down the walls we set between ourselves because we are different.”
You can watch Angelou recite “In the Pulse of Morning” here.
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993)
Soon after her lauded poetry reading at the inauguration, Angelou published her first book of short essays. With lyrical prose, you're treated to her thoughts on topics such as style, death, racism, and self-love, plus how she feels the power of spirituality can help guide and fulfill your life.
Phenomenal Woman (1995)
This collection includes four of Angelou's most popular works—“Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” “Weekend Glory,” and “Our Grandmothers”—with every poem focused on empowering females everywhere.
Letter to My Daughter (2008)
Through a series of candid essays, Angelou writes to the daughter she never had, and in effect opens up to the millions of fans she's gained over the years. Through stories of her tumultuous youth, motherhood, loss, and personal growth, she provides a lesson on what it means to learn to find fulfillment despite life's curveballs.
Mom & Me & Mom (2013)
For the first time in all of her memoirs, Angelou describes the tense relationship she shared with her mother, Vivian Baxter, who sent her away to live with her grandmother when Angelou was just 3. They were reunited 10 years later, but the writer's lingering feelings of abandonment and resentment are what she must fight to overcome as she and Baxter work to repair their relationship.
A Complete List of Maya Angelou Works
Poetry
Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry
Rainbow in the Cloud
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Amazing Peace
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie
Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well
His Day Is Done
Phenomenal Woman
Celebrations
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?
Amazing Peace
And Still I Rise
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
Autobiography
Mom & Me & Mom
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
The Heart of a Woman
I Shall Not Be Moved
Gather Together in My Name
Even the Stars Look Lonesome
Letter to My Daughter
The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou
Children
Life Doesn't Frighten Me
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me
Maya's World Series
Cookbooks
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table
Great Food, All Day Long
Religion
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now
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McKenzie Jean-Philippe
Editorial Assistant
McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at OprahMag.com covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. She loves a great Oprah viral moment and all things Netflix—but come summertime, Big Brother has her heart. On a day off you'll find her curled up with a new juicy romance novel.
